frlit1-5, Exercise 2: The Calas affair

Model answer:

In 1762 a Protestant merchant in Toulouse, Jean Calas, was executed after being accused of killing his son to prevent his conversion to Catholicism. Voltaire became convinced of his innocence, wrote pamphlets and the Treatise on Tolerance (1763), and the verdict was overturned a few years later. It is important because it is often cited as the first great example of a writer using public opinion to challenge a judicial decision, which begins the thread of the writer as public conscience that Chapter 10 follows.

Check the dates and details against a reference work.